This is the official Blog for Tony Horton, creator of Power 90, Power Half Hour and P90X.

Friday, April 22, 2011

Being Perfect

Perfectionism is not an attribute in my opinion so don't beat yourself up when you miss a few workouts or eat some Easter candy. The goal is to have far more good days than bad. Exercise for the joy of feeling good and getting better. Eat right with the intention of fueling your body with the things it needs to perform.

i just watched your p90x infomercial . my name is angie, i am a mom of 4. the last of them were a set of twins which really did a number on my stomach area especially with the c-section cut from my naval down. i want to get in shape but i am 37 yrs old overweight person. i work third shift and i dont sleep regularly so that doesnt help me much but leaves me with no energy. i also have low back pain. the only exercise i get is at work. i am always moving, bending , lifting at work . i have had several gym memberships but lack the desire to go . i have to do something soon, its only a matter of time before i develop diabetes ( eatting bags of m&m's) not the small ones either. i want to try p90x but not sure if i can do the work outs. not sure what i expect from doing this , i just know i need to do something , please help . angie from calhoun , ga

Thanks Tony! You've helped my girlfriend and me to work harder to get in shape. We don't do it to look good, but more importantly to live long and healthy lives. Your blog has given me the uplifting words I've needed when I felt down. Thank you!

I follow this philosophy myself in my job and it helps kids take some stress off in a very highly demanding program. Not easy to learn tho...It's great to be reminded to forgive yourself some bad days but to get right back up on that horse...Good luck everyone! I'm planning to start in a few days...getting ready, getting equiped. It means I won't be a million dollar body for the beginning of my summer holiday, but I'll be almost 2/3rds there! Gotta have a goal and I'm determined to kick the food junkie in me! Gonna bring it!

I'm loving P90X Tony (on week 4). I was the skeptic's skeptic from the start, but now I'm such a fan. Only 4 weeks in I'm and fitter, more flexible, stronger, and ready for more. The workouts are still a killer btw -- especially Core Synergistics. Thanks Tony.

Tony - You Rock my world! I'm a belly dancer (just sent you an email too). Into week 12 and Wow what results i've had. Trying to lose the last of that tiny roll in my lower abs..and trying to decide on P90x again or maybe One on One..what do you suggest Oh great one..LOVE YOU and your program!

I am 47 yrs. "young" now that I have introduced P90x into my life. It took me awile to get over the diet thang, and the lifting weights in the gym same ole thing! :) I loved my diet. It hurt my image in the mirror! P90x is magic if you do it right and keep pushing "play". I didnt quit. I moderated at first if I couldnt do the exercise, but never quit. I am sooo happy with the way I look!People think I'm a professional athlete, my kids friends cant believe the way I look. Kids are brutal, so I am happy with the compliments. I am work in progress with P90x p90x plus and Insanity hybrid. I am sad I didnt have this opportunity when I was young! Tony you saved my health and social image!! I recommend this program every day.. Thanks Tony...

Just finished week 5 and I am amazed at how energetic and fit I look and feel already. I was a D-1 swimmer in college (20 years ago) and I think I look as good now as I did then! Can't wait to see what happens by day 90!

Great workout plan. @ 50 years young, I do more now then I did at 30. I missed a whole week due to illness and felt bad because I was missing my workouts. i look forward to workout time. I even have some of the younger guys at the fire station working out with me, trying to keep up!!!

My name is Amy Streifer and I am writing about P90x for a class I am taking. I was wondering if anyone reading this could give me any input on p90x, if it truly works or not, how much the diet affects the program and anything else you can contribute. my email is reachforstars124@yahoo.com. THANKS!

Here’s another personal success story for you Tony. A side benefit of p90X for me has been the ability to manage and rebound from severe injury. I’m 50 and have enjoyed karate, dirt bike racing, snow-boarding, bicycle racing and other high intensity sports forever. P90X has improved my performance in all these activities immensely. Sadly two weeks ago I had a bad snowmobiling injury and completely ruptured all the quadriceps tendons (4 or 5?) in my left knee. I had surgery immediately (32 staples), my leg is immobilized and I will be on crutches for another 4 weeks with no weight bearing before physio can start. What does P90X have to do with this? Injury management and recovery! I have fantastic right leg balance (YogaX) and strength (Plyometrics). I have excellent arm strength and core strength, and can easily lift myself into and out of the bath, onto the toilet, etc without assistance. I’m a demon on crutches and I can put my own socks on due to excellent hamstring flexibility (small things, but crucial to daily living). Without P90X, I’d be another crippled, dependent 50 year old with a bum leg. I expect the 4 month recovery to go well due to the prior good condition of my glute, quad and calf muscles.Thanks for this gift Tony. I admire you greatly for what you have done for thousands of believers.Dean

I also work second and third shift, and have come home to do my workout at 2 am often. I've found I have the energy to do this now after starting p90x (year 4).

It was my twins who inspired me. I don't have a C-section scar (I'm the dad), but at 40 and getting older, I am now able to keep up with them and don't get hurt lifting 70-80 pounds of kids easily.

Sleep is tough doing shift work. Do your best. Get room darkening shades or hang a dark black blanket in front of the window. You can try those eye masks (but I hate sleeping with something on my face).

Skip the gym memberships. Unless they are open 24h a day, it's hard when you work 3rd shift.

The thing I loved best about p90x is the "do your best and forget the rest attitude." Now I tell people if you can't do the whole workout, do half. Build up to doing more. As someone mentioned above, do a little better each day.

Check out Power 90 first (I did), if p90x is intimidating.

Good luck my friend. I have faith in you. You can make a positive change in your life. Everyone here thanks Tony for doing it... but in actuality it was them who did it. Tony just gives us the skills and knowledge to do it. And he rocks!

I did Insanity last summer. Loved it but your P90x has more variaty and less hard on the knees. Now I'm in week 12. Love your workouts. Except the Yoya, too long. The thing with food for me is not to eat after lunch. For the rest I eat almost what ever I want, and I'm pretty ripe for a 46 years old guy.Thanks Tony - which I could do just one workout with you!

Many people are having misconception about the eating plan. Such that they start eating things which have less calories and that means they are leading the life enjoyment, so this is not the perfect way to live the life.

I am doing p90x with my girlfriend. We were at the grocery store and asked if she could get an ice cream sandwich and I told her that it was ok. I base that on if you make a 180 lifestyle change you are going tu burn out. I like the slow and steady change, keep doing the workouts but reward yourself. Check out my blog on my transformation with p90x!

Hey toni, this is Raphael im 17 and i live in Springfield. I started P90x last February, so now im in my last 2 weeks. The problem is that i accidently repeated the workout schedule of week 9 (2weeks in a row). So now i dont know whether i should go all the way trough week 13, thus doing an extra week or just skip week 12 and go straight to the Recovery phase ??

My 6 year old son loves to hang out with me while I'm doing P90X- and joins in at times to do a couple of exercises. It's great sharing this time with him and being an example of how to take care of yourself, etc. He thinks Tony is hilarious ("like a pterodactyl backin' outta trouble")and it got me thinking that Tony should do a workout video for kids. He's got the personality for it and with childhood obesity rampant, the need(and market) is clearly there. Just a thought...

I am on day 83 of the P90X am 52 years old and if I dare say - look pretty damn good in a bikini. Didn't 90 days ago - used to turn the light out when I got undressed in front of my husband - now I find any excuse to walk by him butt naked.

TOny,Im in my first week of P90x and absolutely love the pump. You are brilliant to combine yoga, martial arts, and strength training all into one system.

I come from a boxing back ground and would highly, highly recommend you check out this guys brutal, supreme conditioning methods-Ross Enamait of

Rosstraining.com

who has trained with Heavyweight Champ Klitschko, Chad Dawson, John Scully, Zab Judah, Kos Tsazyuyah, and a host of other pro boxing elites. Ross is no joke either. You must see what his all intensity way of warrior life is all about.

Hi, I came across your site and wasn’t able to get an email address to contact you. Would you please consider adding a link to my website on your page. We are happy to offer you a 10% discount to our Online Store if you do so. Please email me back and I would be happy to give you our link.

Tony, you are my hero!I love P90X and i am fighting a war aginst fans compairing INSANITY with P90X! They are 2 completely different programs with the same goal of helping us to get fit!

Agree, with what you have to say about not being prefect. however staying focus and letting yourself off the hook too often is also very important! Too many "i don't need to be prefect" = hard work down the drain!

I think I understand what you mean by stating "Perfectionism is not an attribute" when it comes to punishing one's self for small missteps. However, I thought the goal should always be perfection with the knowledge that we may strive but never reach it. Do you remember the old school 70's of eating for what you would be doing in the next 3-4 hours and striving for "perfect form"?

I was going crazy, trying to fit the workouts in, I started my second run at P90X and im working with my cousin who is 290lbs. I keep telling him it works. and he is slowly becoming a believer but he is talking about doing two work outs in one day, which i wasn't sure was a good idea. Now i know what to say...Thanks

I have been doing the work out for 3 months. I admit some days are harder than other specially after work. But I can see the difference. The only thing is the next morning my calves are very sore and tight. Specially when I do jumping jacks any advice.

thanks tony, I just missed my arms and shoulders work out due to fever, I tried to do it a couple hours after my fever subsided but only could do 30 mins of it due to lack of energy, the drive was there just couldnt do it. I needed to read this. I will keep pushing play just because of that

Hi Tony,I am an avid athlete who grew up skinny then got fat, and now at 43 thanks to P90X, I look better than ever before. I feel so strong that I can hardly wait after a workout for the next days workout.I have tried all sorts of exercise and I own about 30 different DVDs, but none touches P90X.What I am really amazed at is the Yoga...wow, for a man my age who is very much an exercise freak, I find Yoga is the best exercise I have ever done in my life. After a Yoga session I feel calm consumate and best of all like I have had an overall body message. I feel so content, my body shuts down so nicely, and you mention a few times in P90X how talkative you are, you are nowhere near as talkative as I am...I talk in my sleep...haha. Nonetheless P90 X Yoga relaxes me to the point that I wana lie down and sleep and never waken again.Anyway, thank you for the best workout in the world. I live in the UK and if I could afford to come to one of your live workouts, I would be in the plane in the morning.Damn you are the Godfather of a healthy body, I am really gratefull for the P90X workout and I am hoping for a better release namely and this is the title I hope you will use...Tony Hortons Body Transformers.Chow for now.Norman Evans

This is a message for Angelia Ewington who posted earlier. i am a 44 year old mum of 2. My babies were big - my youngest was 11lb 3oz and I too had a C/Section that made my tummy look pretty rotten. I was borderline diabetic and had tried endless amounts of diets and exercise regimes - then I discovered P90X! I have now been on the program for 7 weeks - it is really tough and at the beginning I couldn't do all of the workouts. I sweat and I burn and I get out of breath but I have lost a stone in weight and feel fitter than I have in years. I am eating healthily and am no longer starving myself to lose weight. My body is changing and is much more flexible and stronger and I have lost inches all over. I still cant keep up with the guys on the workouts all the time but I do my best knowing that every step I take is towards the body I want. Good luck Angelia i wish you every success!

I'm currently a full time college student. I'm also working as an EMT where I work 24 hours at the hospital, and then I'm on call for another 24 hours. How can I set up my workouts for P90X without having to miss days regularly? Thanks for your time and have a great week.

This is for Angelina Ewington, and anyone else who wants to try any of Tony's programs. Yes, they work.Power 90, P90X, Masters' Series,Power Half Hour, Tony and the Kids (yes, one for kids!), Fat Burner Express, and Tony and the Folks (for seniors). My husband started us on them, and we've shared them with our 6 year old daughter, and I got my 84 year old father doing them. Dad had been given physio exercises to do, to help him through cancer treatments (including chemo), but he didn't do them; Tony's workout got him moving. I was a competitive swimmer who fell out of shape over the years. I've lost about 40 lbs so far, and that's with the workouts and common-sense healthy eating, with the occasional slip. I'm complimented all the time, and I always tell them 'Power 90'. Thank you so much, Tony. Any time you want to come to Canada's north to try out the best freshwater fish in the world, you're more than welcome.

I know this is an old post, but as someone who is following P90X--and a range of other workouts, as well, including that tried and true Power Half Hour series--I have to say I love this even-handed approach to exercise. And life, really. We obsess about doing the right thing, so that when we fall, we get pretty angry at ourselves. The point, as Barry Sears has said in the past, is to "get back into the zone" as soon as you can.

WOW!! I so needed this. I am always striving for that "If I only" moment. And when I finally reach that moment, I am thinking of the next one. I am definatly a mental abuser of myself on a bad day and so appreciate this! Once again,I am humbled by the words of someone who has been there and done it! Thanks!

I have been doing the work out for 3 months. I admit some days are harder than other specially after work. But I can see the difference. The only thing is the next morning my calves are very sore and tight. Specially when I do jumping jacks any advice.

Love what you said about exercising for the joy of feeling good and getting better. I'm on Day 45 and have skipped a good amount of workouts (I'm a full time student and work 2 jobs) BUT last week I played soccer against my husband and scored 5 goals on him! I'd never scored on him before because I would run out of gas. That's what it's all about.